Procedure and House Affairs committee  Unfortunately, we do not have this quantitative detail. It may be information that we could provide to the committee, or through the commissioner. There have been a few, but I don't have the exact number.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  That's right.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Through you, Madam Chair, I think the commissioner fulfills his functions under the auspices of the House, and this committee and ultimately the House have authority to make recommendations and requests. Therefore, it would be up to the House to decide what's appropriate in a giv

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I think there is the ability in the code to make certain findings about whether a given matter is frivolous. There is the ability in the code for the House to draw conclusions and make any changes it wishes to make in terms of the code or its application. I would leave it at that

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. There are obligations in the code, as was indicated, for reporting sources of income, and that is.... With the commissioner, there is a publication of that information. I don't believe that the specific amount is listed, but the general sources of income

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you. I think this is a situation where, if there's been a breach, the commissioner's inquiry may have an individual recommendation in terms of an apology or correction or whatnot. In the same report, there can also be a recommendation that the code be amended because now

Procedure and House Affairs committee  There is a process for that report to be debated, voted on, adopted and concurred in by the House. What we're raising is whether that concurrence will always result in the full adoption of all the recommendations. What if the House wants to adopt some, but not all? We're just

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The commissioner is the one who could answer that question. He could check his records to see if he has ever dealt with this kind of situation. I think there are more specific requirements in the code. For example, one cannot in any way favour one's personal interests or those o

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The notion of friend in the Conflict of Interest Act is something that refers to public office holders, including ministers and appointees. To my knowledge, the definition is not in the act but this is done as part of the commissioner's analysis on the facts. In your question, y

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I think that the commissioner made this recommendation when he appeared before your committee. He said that, when in doubt, you could contact him for a preliminary opinion. This would basically provide some protection for you afterwards. You could first say that you checked with

Procedure and House Affairs committee  There are often some public discussions about issues that are raised in court proceedings and the parties. There is the sub judice principle, where one ought not to be arguing the case in public, but obviously there is a freedom of expression and the ability to speak. In terms o

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The committee can decide to recommend changes to the code. Those would go into that direction and would indicate the House's expectation of its members when they're making complaints.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I don't have a specific recommendation on that point. I think this is the balancing that the code needs to achieve and that this committee needs to achieve and consider in terms of having a process—a process that's accessible, a process where there's no chilling effect on the rai

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Sure. Thank you. Through you, Madam Chair, on the issue overall, some of the comments and other remarks that we would make are that in considering any recommendation or any potential change, I think it's important to consider the roles of the members, the nature of the role of m

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you, Madam Chair and committee members. As law clerk and parliamentary counsel to the House of Commons, I'm pleased to be here with the committee members to answer their questions about today's topic. As the clerk of the House of Commons said, the House administration rev